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Dr Carina Castle
When /co/ asked for a 'SCIENCE!' character, it got more than it bargained for. The original pic was based off of an obscure background character from that CGI Astro Boy movie, drawn during a livestream sometime during the first half of 2013. It eventually worked its way onto /co/ and was unexpectedly seized upon after someone asked: Can we say she has heterochromis because she's two slugs from the future hanging out inside a human costume? It's not weird, because they're married. Overview To almost everybody, Dr Carina Castle is an eccentric but brilliant scientist with heterochromia with a habit of talking to herself and a fondness for playing with exotic chemicals. To a select few, however, the Doctor is merely an elaborate robotic shell containing Slsz and Thlsh, two invertebrate, hermaphroditic aliens about the size of a small dog from a planet orbiting Beta Carinae. After falling in love, they underwent a natural bonding process that merged them into a conjoined being. Of course, after any lifetime pairing ceremony comes the honeymoon, and being an adventurous young composite being, the couple chose the rustic, picturesque Earth as their destination. History "Why not try exotic Flsh-609 for your vacation needs? Located at a cozy distance from its sun, this spiral arm world is rich in exotic minerals and compounds, offers a wide variety of local flora and fauna, and a fascinating native species." "Erect bipedal vertebrates, the natives of Flsh-609 are skilled builders and amusing entertainers. Their confrontational yet highly social tendencies add up to a planet where a new thrill is just behind the next corner!" "Only 71% covered by liquid water, the planet itself is truly beautiful, with many varied biomes and extremes to experience. Try trekking through a continent-wide desert one day, and a lush rainforest the next - that is, if you haven't come across a glittering native city to explore!" "Try Flsh-609 today! It won't disappoint!" This was the advert, featured in "Rxzlsh's Vacation Guide to the Mid-Rim" which sold the two slug-like aliens Slsz and Thlsh (sometimes called "Slush" and "Thlush" by their human friends) to spend their honeymoon on Earth. Originating on Beta Carinae Three, a world almost wholly covered by oceans, soggy marshlands and tidal flats, the couple were utterly fascinated by the promise of such a planet, not deterred in the slightest even by the mass of small print: "...WARNING: Flsh-609 is classed as an Azure-grade destination. No guarantee can be made for the safety of travellers visiting this destination. No consular support is available at this destination. Travellers must visit under total cover. To avoid contact incidents all visitors are obliged to use exo-shells at ALL TIMES. Violation of this rule is an offence under Galactic Law Omega-344.5. Consult your minerologist before fitting a new exo-shell..." Exo-shells are a natural result of the biology of the Carinids. The species is an ancient, naturally intelligent one, sporting a complex multi-layered brain adept at problem-solving. Some hypothesize that the species must have been artificially uplifted by another in the distant past (or at least jump-started), since they are neither nimble nor strong, relying on their wits and high technology to compensate. With that in mind exo-shells were developed long ago for interaction with other species, as well as assisting with life support and disguise away from home - self-sufficient robotic receptacles inside which they would safely ride. After studying Earth in detail, the couple obtained what they felt would be a suitable shell to spend their vacation in. For Slsz and Thlsh the choice to share a single shell was obvious: upon deciding to form a life-bond (akin to a human marriage), Carinids begin exchanging and integrating their nervous systems to the degree that they share memories and feelings. Their consciousnesses remain distinct and reside in two bodies, but become intertwined and (mostly) cooperative. The process might seem repulsive or scary to a human, but for them it was as natural as munching down on some well-aged radioactive cobalt. Thus, the young human female scientist "Carina Castle" traveled to her strange destination. Within "her", Slsz and Thlsh enjoyed sharing sensory input on their journey among the natives. Their species being hermaphroditic, with both partners in a bond able to get pregnant and give birth simultaneously, the two found our division into two separate and distinguishable sexes among the earthlings to be a quaint and intriguing idea. They spent much time in transit practicing how to act like a female human, but unfortunately neither had much of a knack for it. Arriving in human society with forged papers and an almost suspiciously extensive academic record, Doctor Castle quickly landed a job at a major science lab. With degrees in astrophysics, biochemistry, genetics, engineering and applied chemistry under her belt, the young doctor quickly created quite a stir in academic circles. Many older colleagues were intensely jealous of her credentials, the ease with which she did her job, and how she seemed to know more than anyone her age should. Conversely, many of the younger staff came to like Dr Castle for her honest, open and very friendly demeanor. She seemed utterly incapable of professional jealousy or rivalry, oblivious to flirting from colleagues, and immune to embarrassment. Of course she had her strange moments, and privately some commented on her habit of holding detailed theoretical debates with herself, but what genius comes without an idiosyncrasy or two? Alongside a successful career, Castle traveled the length and breadth of the world's cultures and environments. The honeymoon was turning out to be everything they had hoped for and more. And then, of course, disaster struck. One of Castle's co-workers, the aging Dr Beckwith, driven by jealousy towards the beautiful young genius, somehow managed to discover the great secret. Abruptly he vanished from work, but left behind a message for their employer which told the truth about the doctor. Suddenly subjected to an investigation, both for Beckwith's sudden disappearance and the contents of his final message, and facing the possibility of complete public exposure, Slsz and Thlsh were in a jam. Fortunately, salvation arrived in an unlikely form. The Justice /co/mrades had received word of the alien(s) through a government contact, and quickly resolved to meet "Doctor Castle". After a long, heartfelt confession, the honeymooners voiced their fear that they had messed up and would be facing imprisonment on Earth, or even worse punishment back home. They also feared that they may have caused the death of the colleague who exposed them, though they seemed to contradict each other and details on the matter were left unclear. The Justice /co/mrades offered a solution, however. If Dr Castle agreed to join their support crew as a scientific advisor (replacing the late Doctor Erich Eisenschwerd), they would do what they could to make sure any charges were dropped, and that their cover would remain intact to the general public. Slsz and Thlsh happily agreed, thrilled to have found such understanding Earthlings. They quickly installed themselves at the Justice /co/mrade base, completely rebuilding the old science lab there and making a number of enhancements to the existing tech. No longer forced to play a part, they liked the role so much that they quickly decided to stay on even after their planned return home. While they do not have the fighting skills to be effective superheroes themselves, the couple both respect and adore this exotic and noble kind of human, and happily give any assistance they can to them. Personality/ies They are good-natured, very happy with their position in life, and filled with wide-eyed wonder at their adopted world. They are friendly, quickly letting others into their trust (but not trusting just anyone with their true nature, of course), which sometimes works against them. They believe in hard work and rarely complain or chafe as long as there are challenging things to do. They rarely get annoyed or angry, though wanton destruction of the beautiful Terran landscape or extremely uncivilized behavior towards those of its inhabitants the slugs like will get on their bad side. They are always eager for new experiences but make little distinction between what a human would define as "good" and "bad" experiences. Sleeping in a filthy alleyway or trekking over a beautiful landscape are both worthwhile activities in their minds. Earth is a banquet of romantic locations, quirky cultures and strange creatures to study and enjoy, and they want to experience it all. At their best they are generous, open-minded and endlessly curious - at their worst they are gawping, easily-led tourists who view humans as interesting specimens. Though they normally speak as one, in moments of confusion or problem-solving their speech may turn into an exchange of dialogue as they "disengage" their mental bond to resolve a dispute or present hypotheses - all of which can be disconcerting for bystanders. When separated, Slsz shows a more adventurous and extroverted side, whereas Thlsh is more quiet and retiring. Acting is not a strong point for either of them, so the longer they try to pass as human the greater the chance of letting something slip becomes. They know all the basics of how humans act, how our societies work, what's taboo and encouraged, but they're just not very good at following through on all of it all the time. Knowing facts that should not yet be known is difficult to explain, but chugging a vial of barium sulphate is even worse. Now that "she" is with the Justice /co/mrades, it is they who usually try to cover up for such antics. Abilities Thanks to bizarre alien biochemistry relying on controlled internal fission for metabolism, the couple live on a steady diet of transition metals, metallic salts, radioisotopes and rare earths, with a sprinkling of synthetic elements on special occasions. They can clean up many hazardous chemical spills with little trouble, as long as they're hungry at the time. They are immune to high levels of radiation and moderately high temperatures, and do not require oxygen to breathe. They are both very skilled in several fields of science. They are extremely good at designing, planning and building various devices, as well as handling projects which might come in handy like biochemical experiments and DNA analyses. Their species have a weak form of telekinesis by which they can manipulate matter, but they prefer to simply use the exo-shell if possible, as it is less tiring. The Carina Castle unit is a travel-type exo-shell with a full cybernetic interface. One of the most complex devices ever seen on earth, this body has both robotic and organic elements to make it a convincing disguise. The body boasts superhuman strength & durability (though one hand missing its 'skin' demonstrates the potential for lasting damage), a full life support system and automatic shutoff when uninhabited, but is in no way adapted to combat and has no hidden weapons or similar. Since the occupants are not trained combatants either, this makes the shell mostly harmless - but a supervillain attempting to kidnap the "helpless doctor" might find themselves hard-pressed to match the shell's pure strength. Like any well-used RV, it's constantly at risk of developing faults. Thankfully, the extensive resources of the Justice /co/mrades and ingenuity of its pilots are usually enough to keep the shell running. as their scientific advisor and resident expert on all things extraterrestrial, where a well-equipped lab and well-stocked chemical store aren't far away. Finally, the couple keep a small personal warp-capable spaceship hidden in the Justice /co/mrade's hangar, though they generally never use it to travel on Earth. The mileage inside an atmosphere is terrible, and have you SEEN the price of antimatter these days? Gallery 1370717010639.jpg|Young slugs in love. 1370732088621.jpg|The Castle suit and its occupant/s. Drawn by Psu. Category:Characters Category:Hero Category:Alien